Creation and Redemption

22 March 2026

By Pastor John Macindoe - Senior Pastor

At our recent pastoral retreat, we did an activity where we were asked to go outside into nature and spend 30 minutes alone: no phone, no conversation, no other distractions. During that time, we were encouraged to contemplate the relationship between God’s creation and our redemption and then, if we were willing, share what we believed God was saying to us when we returned.

This is not my cup of tea. It all felt a bit fluffy and vague. But off I went, obedient to the task, trying hard to make links between creation and redemption – whatever that means.

Eventually, following a rough path with vague thoughts running through my brain, I came across a gate plastered with signs: ‘Do Not Enter’, ‘Authorised Persons Only Past This Point’. I stopped and looked ahead. All I could see were gnarled ochre Angophora gum trees, twisting and turning amongst themselves, behind them blue sky and a sandstone cliff face, beneath their branches flax plants lifting their leaves towards the heavens. It was beautiful. If I had my phone, I’d have taken a picture.

Then the thought struck me. This is church. God takes twisted, gnarled people like you and me, he takes those with tough, sharp leaves that seem so inflexible, and he brings us together with all our imperfections to make something incredibly beautiful. Each person, so very different, forms an essential part of his family, for his glory.

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